THE MAYOR OF CA5TERBRIDGE (1886)

by Thomas Hardy

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> Irritated and drunken, an itinerant farm-worker sells his wife and child >
O to a stranger. Thus begins The Mayor ofCasterbridge, set in rural and q
^ small- town England in the mid- 1800s. In the original subtitle, Hardy called ^
O this the story of "a man of character," and the central character, Michael O
^ Henchard, is one of English fiction's greatest creations. Henchard is deeply ^

> developed as a realistic character, but also larger-than-life in the manner of >
H a Greek or Shakespearean tragic hero — huge in his determination and H
jj huge in his failings. The novel deals with the struggle of individual will, jj

the hold of the past, and the relentless control of circumstances in a §

D changing society. D

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Read by Bruce Pirie

Proofed by Betty M.
Coordinated by Arielle Li pshaw
Running Time: 12:51:17

This LibriVox recording is in the public domain.
Cover illustration, also in the public domain, is by Robert Barnes, from the original serialised publication of the novel.

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